The Shamy Amalgamation
by Tijopi11
Summary: Amy comes to terms with how much isolation as a teen has emotionally effected her, while Sheldon comes to terms with how far in love he's actually fallen for Amy and struggles with his own inner conflicts during his youth. Will the sharing of secrets end the relationship, or will it bring them closer than ever?
1. Amy is the Lonely Rose

Amy took her seat and tried to fend off a nervous smile from dominating her lips. She sat in such a way in which she feared her emotions would be given to her ever-analytical boyfriend far quicker than she'd hoped. The two were normally very close and open- something Amy cherished fondly- but tonight, she sat towards the TV screen, legs crossed, eyes planted down, purse lying on her thighs, her hands folded neatly on top.

"What type of tea would you like?" Sheldon asked from the kitchen, his eyes focused on the number of perfectly organized tea bags in front of him.

"Green tea," Amy answered, her voice more reserved than usual. She had hoped Sheldon hadn't noticed it- although she knew Sheldon had some difficulty navigating human emotions well. She often had to help him on that note.

"Alright, give the water a minute to boil," he replied briskly. Sheldon always seemed focused, even on mundane tasks such as tea making. It was that sort of intensity that she enjoyed- she considered it the mark of an inquisitive mind. Indeed, Sheldon was a very inquisitive man.

She waited for a moment of silence to pass, and then she gathered the courage to ask the question that had been poised to spring on her tongue all morning.

"So," she began hesitantly. "I was thinking tonight, we could watch a movie together?" She turned to him, giving him a sheepish smile and a pair of eyes that paralleled a child's eyes after asking for a small toy.

Sheldon turned to her, giving her a quizzical eye as he prepared both cups of green tea. "I thought we would be attending a restaurant and exchanging evening pleasantries for the evening as per our usual date night arrangements?" Sheldon inquired with a touch of confusion creeping its way into his voice. He took both cups of tea to the couch and, after handing her one, took his seat in his usual spot- right next to her.

"I know, but I was thinking we could...maybe mix it up a little. I have a little something planned that I would like to put on the table tonight." She unconsciously shielded herself a little over her purse, and with a little boost of confidence, she reached for the zipper.

"Mix it up a little?" Sheldon scoffed, not quite rolling his eyes but getting close. "I don't understand what would compel anyone to change something that's working perfectly well thus far, and I especially can't see YOU doing so."

_He's already riled and I haven't even gotten to the part where he's __**supposed **__to be riled up!_ Amy thought to herself in panic. She took a deep breath and unzipped her purse, exposing a particular movie she had picked out. She figured it was now or never.

"A-As you know, our date nights usually contain a certain element of intimacy which our neighboring tables could easily mistake to be a failed attempt at corralling a deeply-imbedded romantic relationship," she fumbled in between sips of her hot tea. "So, I was thinking we could do something a bit more romantic this evening- like watch a film pertaining toward the romantic genre?"

Sheldon had kept a dubious expression through the entire explanation, which fell into a look of contemptuousness. "You could at least give it a try!" Amy cut in before Sheldon could give his ever-so-predictable remark of disgust toward the new idea.

He sat in deep thought for a moment, and then he gave a tiny sigh before taking a big sip of his tea. "Alright, fine..." he grumbled in a half-sulk, "to what movie do I owe this great pleasure of mine?"

Amy smiled, a tiny shock of relief going through her. _I'm going to watch a romantic movie with my boyfriend! She_ gushed inside her head, _and not just any boyfriend- with Sheldon Cooper!_ She knew he was the best boyfriend for her- why, they synchronized as if they'd been twins separated at birth! They shared a deep passion for the pursuit of knowledge, respected each other's fields of work, they even had the same friends and co-workers.

"Great job- you did sarcasm correctly there!" Amy gave him a giant smile which was honestly much more dedicated to her enthusiasm on Sheldon agreeing rather than her enthusiasm on Sheldon's sarcasm skills. Sheldon immediately exchanged his sulking demeanor with a proud one. "Eight out of thirteen! I've improved since last week!" he chimed.

Amy leapt from her seat and inserted the disk into the receiver. "It's called 'Lonely Roses' and has been getting five star reviews! The last time I checked was yesterday, so the review scores are fairly recent," she chirped before rushing to shut the lights off, thus making the atmosphere movie-appropriate.

While Amy seemed to gain more excitement from the mention of the movie, Sheldon seemed regretful from it. "We should watch classic movies... like movies about men of steel, or star ships..." he whined almost to himself. "Movies like that would be really cool..."

In order to avoid a reply, Amy pretended like she hadn't heard that side comment. Instead she decided to focus on her bubbling enthusiasm. Yes, she had already watched this movie- it was something she figured he might actually enjoy.

A series of commercials and the warm snap and crack of popcorn later- Sheldon had insisted the variable of popcorn was crucial to movie watching- the film began with a scene Amy had immediately resonated with.

The main protagonist, the broad-faced and abs-sporting Robert Kristopher Brown, was sitting aloofly by a dark corner. The scenario seemed very old-fashioned what with the chipping grey paint, the very noticeable pile of magazines dating back when shoulder pads were cool, the signed portraits of ladies hanging on the walls who boldly showed off the same shoulder pads as modeled on the magazine covers.

It was a small, quaint coffee shop- one which seemed to barely be surviving the modernizing of buildings all around it. Old folks would come into the shop, feeling warmth from the nostalgic times when all the buildings around them were this small and homey. It was just like that coffee shop that she had met Sheldon all those years ago- just as small, and homey, and unoriginal, and not unique in the slightest. Deep in her heart, she considered the moment legendary- a point in history where a series of coincidences lead to a result so grand that she had to consider a higher deity at work, spinning fate and chance together until he spun gold out of straw. It was just one of those points in your life that at the moment felt bland and forgettable, only to come up years later as being inspiring and monumental.

In comes the main heroine of the movie- the short-tempered yet has-her-heart-in-the-right-place Miss Georgia Grace. She enters the small establishment with the bark of her spitfire tongue finding its way just as sharp in the clap of her high heels. The two lovers ignore each other, passing the other with nary a second glance, unbeknownst of the adventure cultivating in a deep, passionate romance that would fill the next hour and twelve minutes of the movie's run time.

Having been enraptured in the beautiful love story of two people falling desperately in love with each other, Amy quickly found an ache in her heart which ripped her out of her fantasy world. This would be the last scene where the couple were cold and distant from each other, as well as the last scene Amy could confidently identify with. She remembered the many reviews about the movie- all the comments about how the reviewer had watched the movie with their significant other, and how they had cooed to each other that the female heroine reminded him of her, and that male hero had reminded her of him. They would wax poetry of how they remembered their own love story unfolding in quite the same way- and how their bond had knitted itself closer and closer together as years had passed.

Amy gave Sheldon a quick side glance, and noted the distance between them. They were seated close to one another, but not quite touching. Sheldon was poised and deeply involved with the action going on in front of him, completely unaware of her longing eyes and bitter-sweet smile. She really wanted him to put his arm around her, she really wanted him to allow her to cuddle close to him, she really wanted to place a blanket over them as they cuddled- confident with themselves as long as that confidence was between them alone. Almost beyond her own will, she drifted away from the movie and into her own fairytale-like daydreams.

This one took place at sunset- the sky alit with beautiful colors, the birds acting as the romantic violins during the dinner date. But this wasn't a dinner date; it was a lovely picnic on top of a hill overlooking the landscape. The day succumbing to the cold night made the air chilly, but Amy felt warm and peaceful. Sheldon had an arm around her waist, and she was taking advantage of the invite of closeness by leaning on him with her head resting on his shoulder. It felt so warm and sweet- like drinking hot tea with several spoonfuls of sugar and honey mixed in. It was wonderful.

A pair of turtle doves performed an aerial ballet before their eyes and landed safely on the ground, never straying more than a few feet from each other. Sheldon leaned down, his lips being just an inch from her ear. "They mate for life, you know?" he whispered smoothly. She could feel his warm breath in her ear, and the tingle made her quiver. "Guess who they remind me of?" he finished, his voice seductively low.

Amy felt like she was on top of the world- he was so romantic! How did she deserve such a man as this one?

"Hey," fairy-tale Sheldon cut off her prideful thoughts. "You know you are my world right? My angel, the beautiful angel everyone's always looking for throughout their lives. And I do mean that- everyone is always searching for angels in this world. I've found my angel, how have I never seen the wings until now?" He took her hand softly, caressing it with his thumb, and then lightly kissing her. He would have a distinctively gentle kiss- one that seemed unsure of himself and innocent, but the kiss grew more passionate. It became more urgent, more demanding, until it evolved into soul-kissing. He bowled her forcefully to the ground; locking her down as if afraid she would escape and run away, and deepened the kiss further. He lifted his hands and took her face warmly into his, and ran his thumb tenderly from her ear down her cheek to her chin and down her neck.

She nearly jumped back into reality when real-world Sheldon had actually touched his hand to hers. Sheldon didn't seem to notice- his eyes were glued to the movie. Amy smirked in amusement at this until she noticed what was actually on the screen. It wasn't a spaceship or a man of steel- it was the all-too-famous train scene where the two lovers fought the antagonists on top of the moving vessel.

She looked back up at Sheldon, who was smiling widely. It had taken him almost a full moment before noticing his hand was on top of hers, and much to Amy's dismay, he quickly removed it. "My apologies," he whispered formally (as if not to disturb others at the movie theatre even though it was just them) before placing it back on his lap.

Amy was amused at this- hey, she could dream couldn't she? Speaking of which, she had already slipped back into her dream world.

The scene was no longer a picnic overlooking the sunset, nor was it a surprise romantic dinner or an intimate Valentine's Day or any other of her most-used fantasy plotlines. Alright, she was willing to admit it. Her daydreams weren't exactly original, nor did they have a surprising twist. They were the oldest romantic moves in the book- the kissing in the rain, the running just in time to stop the proposal so he could confess his love to her, the romantic candle-lit dates complete with the Italian violinist singing 'Bella Notte.'

Instead, she found herself standing on top of a stage in front of a hundred envious yet politely resigned eyes. She held up a trophy clutched warmly in her hands, spoke a few excessively sentimental words, and then basked in the applause and praise of the crowd. She tried to follow the instructions her mother had given her as a child: when receiving your Nobel prize- which was all but predetermined by the likes of fate and statistics- one should share eye contact with the entire crowd, not just one person or a particular section. As much as she tried, however, Amy found her craving for approval to rest squarely on one particular man in the front row. Sheldon smiled at her- not to be mistaken for the "this is really cool and deserves my recognition" smile, which was very similar in appearance- but the "I'm proud of this and I'm happy I took part" smile. This smile was much more sincere and becoming.

She smiled back and walked backstage, where her family and colleagues gushed their congratulations and shook her hand, respectfully. As the announcer took her place on stage and gave her clearly pre-memorized speech, she eyed Sheldon making his way toward her. She blushed, and held the trophy protectively like a bride holding onto her wedding bouquet. Sheldon moved toward her, smiled, and mumbled in a restrained tone that didn't quite make the cut of being a whisper: "I must say I'm impressed, Amy Farrah Fowler. I'm happy we're colleagues."

The scene changed from a fantasy to a memory. It had been a week earlier, the two of them enjoying a quiet afternoon together. It was Sheldon's apartment, and they had been drinking tea in near silence at the kitchen table as per unspoken tradition. It wasn't quite under jurisdiction to be considered a tradition, as the time arrangements weren't recorded or even certain. Their silent afternoon teatime happened on Wednesdays, sometimes happened on Mondays, but God forbid it happen on a Friday, and one Saturday was a misfortunate substitution since, it seemed, the outside world had little to no appreciation or empathy for one's craftsmanship and hard work put toward organized schedule making.

The afternoon was just as blissful as their other teatime afternoons, and Amy didn't mind the silence so much since it seemed to be more peaceful than anything, although she did sometimes wish Sheldon would be a bit more social. Any conversation between then was started by her- although Sheldon was more than happy to converse freely afterwards.

She was weighing benefits and cons with starting a conversation again when Leonard made the choice for her, unlocking the door and disrupting the silence. He looked up with sadness which swiftly melted into mischief. "Having a date you two?" he asked casually while taking off his jacket and shoes. "Date night's next week, Leonard," he corrected him monotonously. "Speaking of which, didn't you inform me earlier today that you and Penny were going to be seeing a movie together? More specifically, you said you wouldn't be back from three pm until eight pm."

"Yeah," Leonard answered somewhat tentatively, "but Penny got a call about an acting audition for her and... well, that kind of cut things short." He seemed to have been pretty excited about seeing a movie with her only for it to be put off for another day, but what choice did they have? It was a great opportunity to be called directly for things like that- but then again, Amy wasn't in the acting business, so maybe it happened all the time.

"It's five thirty," Sheldon grumbled, having apparently missed the reasonable explanation. "You could have watched a movie on your own, couldn't you? Or went to a restaurant." Leonard merely shrugged. "Well, I didn't want to go alone- I wanted to go with Penny. What's the big deal?" he replied. Amy figured he knew Sheldon well enough to guess what the problem was, but he probably also knew Sheldon well enough not to try and convince him otherwise. "The 'big deal' is that you told me you would be home at eight pm. It is now five forty...two- I'm sorry, five thirty three! How am I supposed to establish trust and confidence with someone when that someone can't do something as simple as coming home at eight pm when he said he would come home at precisely eight pm."

Leonard was quick to give up on that one. "Gee, I don't know, I guess you're right," Leonard replied sarcastically before jumping right back into his usual optimistic self. "Hey, can I join you guys? Since my plans with Penny kind of got squashed, it'd be nice to have some company."

Amy perked up, remembering how much she dreamed of being invited to have coffee with her friends as a teen. Her friend was inviting himself to have tea with her, but she dubbed this close enough. In any case, she knew Leonard would be more open toward exchanging pleasantries. She was surprised, however, when Sheldon stopped him.

"Well, you will have to find company elsewhere. Amy and I are enjoying tea together, at the moment." He added. Leonard raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "Isn't date night next week?" he asked, and Sheldon nodded his confirmation.

"And you're having a date tonight? That's unusual for you two?" Leonard noted, seemingly confused whether he meant that jokingly or as a genuine statement needing support. "This isn't a date," Sheldon was quick to defend. But he turned his gaze away from Leonard, not meeting his eyes, and certainly not meeting Amy's. He looked down at his mug and moved it around a few times so that the small amount of liquid left rolled around the bottom of the cup. "But I would prefer we were alone," he mumbled. He seemed embarrassed to admit it, like it was such a foreign idea for girlfriend and boyfriend to want to be alone together. Perhaps he recognized that it was indeed a couple's thing, and that was what he was so sheepish to admit.

Amy thought about this for a moment. Was he shy? Did he want to avoid any remarks or snide comments from Leonard whether on accident or purposeful? Did he simply want to avoid this being discussed?

Leonard, too, seemed to have had his confusion further toiled with rather than remedied by any means. "Well, that makes sense," he offered before making his way toward his room, although Amy caught him making a side comment to himself "Although Sheldon making sense may be a good sign that the apocalypse is among us."

Upon shutting the door behind him, Sheldon finally stopped staring at his cup and looked at her again, apparently unphased. Amy had decided to put in a little joke to ease the tension, "so, you wanted us to be alone, huh?" The idea comforted her, but she immediately wondered if Sheldon would take slight offense to what was meant as a tension-easing joke, which resulted in a slightly nervous chuckle.

Sheldon merely shrugged it off the best he could. "Frankly," he sighed in what sounded like resignation, "I enjoy spending time with you, Amy. It makes me happy." He gave her a sort of half-smile for just a second before it disappeared, and he downed the last of his tea just as quick.

Amy came back to reality, remembering just where she was and how she got there. The movie was stalking the last few minutes it had left to tell its story, with the main couple looking back at the destruction and adventure that just went down. The big hero Robert Brown gazed into the eyes of Georgia Grace's, no doubt admiring the way they sparkled like a pair of precious gems. Her dusty matted hair somehow coming across as a medley of sexy, and his shirt managing to have been ripped off twenty minutes before the true chaos ensued. Tension rose with the silence as the two drew closer, inch by inch, to the point where only the flickering fire behind them gave it away to the viewer that the film had indeed not been using a slow motion effect. Finally, until both the heroes and the audience could no longer take any more hesitation, she pressed her lips into his, and he wrapped her arms around her neck and drew her body closer. The camera drew back so as to capture the kiss as well as the wreckage, and then the scene was thrown into the ending credits.

Amy thought back on her daydreams. She loved when she spiraled off into a deliciously romantic fantasy with her ideal mate- after all, what dream was better for a true romantic other than a romance? Be it a romance novel, a romance movie, or a romantic life. An actual romantic experience was what every romantic dreamt of- the one where the sexy male of choice swept her off her feet and ran her to the nearest church to marry her with the most expensive ring money could buy.

So why was she always drifting off to less romantic things, or simply things she already had? She would think about being successful, and simply getting a thumbs up from Sheldon. It didn't seem like much, but it was enough for her. It wasn't just enough- it was more than enough. It was exactly the type of thing that would melt her heart and give her that boost of confidence she needed. Heck, if Sheldon approved of it, you know you must have done something pretty great. Then there were times where she would just think about spending time with him. Just the silly things that they did- whether it be having tea, just the two of them and no one else was invited, or going off to science lectures or random stores. Sometimes they would just look around the town at random- driving down the streets and looking at items of interest. Or they might go to a museum, or the zoo, virtually on a whim. She knew Sheldon liked to have things scheduled, but Amy honestly enjoyed their little activities having an element of mystery to them- not quite knowing what's going to happen, but going along for the ride anyway knowing you will enjoy every minute of it regardless, if only for the good company.

Why would she daydream about these things though? The point of daydream fantasies, she insisted to herself, was to create a better reality than what she had. Sure, she loved what she had- she couldn't find herself asking for more than this- but she had too often yearned for a little romance. A lot of romance, she preferred, but a little romance was fine. That's why she found it easy to conjure it up in her daydreams, but she had to admit, it felt lacking to the real deal. If that was so, then why did she dream about the present when she figured she was trying to get away from it?

Sheldon turning the TV off cut her from her thoughts. She knew he enjoyed watching the credits- or perhaps he only felt obligated too, since the actual writers and producers of the film get the most recognition in the credits- so she figured the credits had finally ended.

"So?" Amy asked him, a smug smile on her face. She had still been questioning herself, but she brushed it aside for the sake of wanting to know Sheldon's opinion on the film.

"It was a good film," he granted her, and gave her a smile. Amy raised an eyebrow. Darn, how was she supposed to be smug about his enjoyment if he was admitting to it so carelessly?

"I knew you'd like the train scene. A lot of people said the acting, action, and effects were at its finest during that scene," she noted cheerfully. Sheldon smiled even wider. "It was quite the stunning locomotive," he mentioned dreamily, and then metaphorically sprinted back from fan boy land to California again. "The rest of the movie was lacking, considering it was a movie with a train in it."

Amy shrugged. "The train wasn't that important to the plot," she put in, although knowing it wasn't much solace. At least he had watched it with her, and if latching on to that one detail made him glad that he had watched it with her, then she was happy too.

She waited for him to give her further details, like saying having a train in the movie means the rest of the movie should be of heightened quality due to raising the expectations of the audience from that point on or something, but Sheldon surprised her by changing the subject.

"Oh, I just remembered there was something I wanted to ask you," he recalled, his voice adorably squeaking high on the 'oh' and 'ask' which made Amy smile. He covered the distance between the couch and his desk which, sitting neatly beside his laptop, laid his wallet. Inside revealed two lengthy rectangles of official-looking paper. Tickets? ...Movie tickets?

"I was going to go visit Texas, and I was curious if you wanted to join me?"


	2. Hand in Hand

This was it... Amy was certain of it. This trip, between her and her boyfriend, was going to be the opportunity she had been waiting for to get some attention from Sheldon. Sure, she loved where it was now, and she supposed the pace was tolerable...it was tolerable if it made Sheldon comfortable. As long as he was happy, happy to be with her and declare himself the boyfriend and her, the girlfriend, then she was happy too. But how she craved for intimacy, more romance, and most of all, some comfort and stability. Yes, they were definitely a stable couple- there was no doubt about that- but sometimes, she simply couldn't read Sheldon at all. Was he enjoying himself? Did he hate this relationship; was he doing it out of pity? Does he like it more than he puts on? Perhaps... maybe...if they were to spend some more time together and become close enough to the point of accepting intimacy into the relationship, then maybe Sheldon would feel more comfortable with himself. Of course she had said yes to the tickets...maybe a little too enthusiastically, she had to admit.

The night before, Amy had spent a good two hours helping Sheldon pack. That included attaching RFID stickers to each item, loading it to his laptop, choosing which science papers that he had written to take to Texas for his mom to read, choosing which science papers that he HADN'T written to take to Texas for his mom to read, putting them each individually in sheet protectors and putting RFID stickers on THOSE, scanning them to his computer, and then...deciding what needs to be put in his suitcase.

Yes, he literally put RFID stickers on virtually everything he could possibly need when travelling, and then used his computer to decide which ones were best suited for Texas climate as if the computer could do a better job than a Texan himself.

This morning, it took another hour for the two to decide and compromise on what Amy should bring- cut short an hour by Amy's insistence on keeping her personal belongings free of RFID stickers- and then another hour to decide on literally everything else, including whether or not Amy should get vaccinations for the sake of defending her immune system against the foreign, mostly exotic microorganisms found in Texas, yet not found in California.

They had both decided that sitting in any seat that wasn't located near the wings of the plane meant that they might as well write their wills and pick out their gravestones now, since the seats closest to the wings are the safest in the event of a crash. They were all occupied upon arrival and, despite fervent arguing and insisting that the other passengers relocate themselves to the back, all had been met with failure and they eventually had to take their seats towards the tail of the plane. There were no seatbelts, and Amy's chair was missing that little pamphlet telling you how to use the oxygen masks should they be necessary.

Suffice to say, getting from Pasadena, California to Houston, Texas proved itself to be a task meant for daredevils with a chaotic lust for a near death experience. In spite of this, Amy found herself filled with hype regardless of the journey once they'd finally landed and gotten off of that deathtrap waiting to happen.

"Oh, this looks nice," Amy thought aloud, causing Sheldon to redirect his attention toward what she was looking at. They had stopped just short of Mary's home to look at a quaint little store on the side of the road, upon Amy's request. The place was littered with mostly unusual, unneeded things that people would only really buy on a whim, such as hand-me-down clothes, key chains, shell necklaces, and some things Amy couldn't even name (they looked out of country.) What had caught Amy's eye, however, was not a bag of cheap rings or a Scooby doo baseball cap, but a very extravagant-looking gemstone necklace.

"That looks expensive," Sheldon sighed ominously. The shop, being small and mostly deserted, left the two being the only costumers in the shop. A man standing behind the purchase desk, who Amy assumed was the manager, was staring at them as if psychically willing them to buy something.

"Excuse me, how much would you say this necklace costs?" Sheldon asked while looking expectantly toward the awaiting salesman. He didn't quite answer, just squinted his eyes and scratched the stubble on his chin. "Hmmmm, uhh, well..." he mumbled as he did so, "It's not new. I'm not sure what the original price was either. How does $750 sound?"

It sounded like the scream of pain our empty wallets would be making after the decision to purchase.

"Sorry, we didn't bring enough money for that," Amy laughed nervously while Sheldon just looked pissed. "That's outrageous," he grumbled half as a private side comment to Amy, half as a loud complaint to the business man. "In hundreds of years, when artificial intelligence finally bites back on us and robots take over the human race, they'll look back on us and say "we took over a race that would lay down hundreds of dollars to buy pretty polished rocks on a string... was it really such an accomplishment to take out these numbskulls?" Amy laughed at the pure absurdity, but she secretly wondered if the necklace had actually cost thousands to begin with.

(Cut to next scene)

"What is it about women and jewelry?" Sheldon sighed as they walked together, hand in hand, down Sheldon's old neighborhood. His old home and Mary's current home was just down the street. Around Amy's neck was a very befitting necklace, black string coupled with a set of irregularly-shaped rosy jewels. It wasn't the necklace they were originally looking at, but one of the many hand-me-down necklaces the shop owner had on display. This one was actually fairly attractive, and it even looked handmade.

"Now, now, all the cool popular girls used to wear jewelry when I was in high school," Amy defended herself with a giant smile plastered on her face. She was so happy she bought the necklace that there was no way of ridding her smile from her face.

" 'high school,' " Sheldon snorted in a 'oh, that's cute, you actually had to go to high school' sort of way. "You know, you really missed out not going to high school. It's filled with so many new memories! I mean, you never got to experience the thrill of acceptance when the cool kids talked to you, or got to hang out with friends your own age when they invited you for a sleepover, or experience with alcohol for the first time." Amy's voice was dreamy and filled with wonder, her line of vision off and distant as if peering into the past rather than seeing the present.

But Amy had trouble admitting it to herself let alone to Sheldon- her childhood was cruelly deprived of such things. She had spent many an hour dreaming about the popular girls hanging out with her and inviting her into their posse when she was supposed to be taking notes on a lecture. She was never invited over to a sleepover though she yearned to be, although that one may be a blessing in disguise. She spent many late nights fascinated by the functions of the brain, and how it worked. She would read every book she could get her hands on about it, or articles, or even sections on the newspaper mentioning the field of science. She eventually stumbled upon the concept of neurobiology, something she liked the sound of.

Her first experience with alcohol had been during her teenage years, but not with friends as she had envisioned it. Not sneaking into a bar and making fake ID cards, and then hanging out in the street parking lots were they would drink and make fun of each other's drunkenness.

"Why would I want too?" Sheldon spoke with the same sort of disgust as he did when describing geologists. "I assure you any REAL physicist would much rather concern himself with the professional business of science, not that socializing malarkey."

They cut through a portion of the land that seemed hard-pressed to house any plant life, supporting only a few patches of misguided grass here and there until it slowly filled out into a grassy field. There were only a few trees within eyesight, one of them which they passed under the much-welcomed shade in order to make their way to Sheldon's mother's house.

"You might have thought differently had you actually gone through it," Amy put in weakly as she went over the events of her depressing childhood through her head. There was one girl that stuck out to her- Serena McKenzie, the queen bee and mastermind behind the most popular of girls at her high school. Tall, attractive, thin, perfect hourglass figure, perfect eyes, perfect nose, perfect face, perfect life... Her long, excessively poofy thick black hair was what every girl wished they had, along her hazel dough-eyes, button nose, and defined cheek bones, and she was the one who introduced wearing a hundred panda hairclips as a mainstream trend.

She imagined the day she could be 'one of them'- the cool type. Instead, they never even seemed to notice she existed. Oh well, she had come a long way since then, hadn't she? It was time she made herself known!

"I even keep up with some of my old high school peers over Facebook sometimes. In fact, I know one of them has since moved and doesn't live far from here. I think we should meet her," Amy offered. She was a bit shaky, but firm in her decision. Would Serena remember her?

"Here in Texas?" Sheldon asked, and Amy nodded. "Alright, if you're sure you-" he replied in confirmation, but before he could finish, the doors to Mary's home flew open causing them both to jump.

"Shelly!" She called from a distance, her voice making quite the impact for such a small lady. "I've been waiting for you to knock on the door! Quit with your chattering you two and come here!"

Sheldon and Amy, who had been standing around and talking just outside Mary's house, walked quietly to the door and entered her humble home. In the process, Sheldon stopped holding hands with her just before they entered. As soon as Amy had set foot into the home, she was welcomed with a blast of delicious aromas that had been accumulating in the living room for what she imagined was some time now. Nestled in the kitchen were stronger smells yet, mostly consisting of what smelt like tomato sauce, a faint smell of rough dough, and smoke rising from the stove.

Mary had her hair up in a bun, which definitely complimented her, along with an apron tied around her waist that sported a stitched apple pie on the front. "I saw you walking here but then you stopped and just stood there on my porch," Mary grumbled while Sheldon looked unphased. "We said we'd be here at 1:00 pm," Sheldon defended himself, and then checked his watch. "It's only 12:43 now."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "So you were going to stand there and just wait for 25 minutes?" Mary accused. Sheldon replied "yes" as a more formal substitution for the word "duh" while Amy tried to fend off a smile from crossing her face. Mary just sighed in exasperation for a response and then turned toward Amy. "Why, hello, Amy! I didn't know you were coming over as well, what a pleasant surprise! Would you like something to drink?" Mary chirped. Amy didn't know where to put her jacket, so she followed Sheldon's example with just tossing it on the arm support of the couch. She placed hers on top of his.

"A glass of water would be nice," Amy replied. After trudging through the Texan heat, a glass of water actually sounded really good. "And don't get it from the tap," Sheldon lectured his mother for her. He walked into the kitchen like a cub walking outside of its den for the first time- tentatively and suspiciously, that is- and made his way toward the pan of tomato sauce. "Are you making spaghetti with little hot dogs cut up in it?" Sheldon gasped, a crooked smile coming across his face.

"Just spaghetti, I'm afraid. I didn't have any hotdogs in the fridge, although if I did have any, I would have made it for you Shellybean. I know it's your favorite," Mary replied affectionately, as she was clearly proud of her work despite the lack of hotdogs.

"Not as good without the hotdogs...but okay," Sheldon responded somberly, although his half smile never disappeared. Amy couldn't help but be amused at Sheldon's eagerness- the majority of his meals were takeout. She knew Mary strongly believed that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, so she figured eating Mary's home cooking must be a real treat.

While the two discussed dinner plans, Amy took the opportunity to quickly whip out her cellphone, hoping no one would notice in order to dub the action as rude. She quickly typed the name- Serena McKenzie- into the Facebook search bar and found the young women she was looking for. She peaked at Sheldon and Mary, the former whipping out a textbook-sized block of research papers for the latter to read, and then she typed her message.

"Hi Serena, its Amy Farrah Fowler. We used to be classmates in high school. I know you've since moved to Texas, but I'm messaging to inform you that my boyfriend is actually from Texas and we're visiting now. Since we're actually close by, I thought it would be cool to see each other again? Where do you think would be a good place to meet? Message me as soon as you can! –Amy"

She typed in her cell phone number as well and sent the text message.

After a few minutes of chatting, stirring tomato sauce, and waiting for her water to be given to her though never actually getting it in between all the activity, Amy got a returning message on her phone.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, I think I remember you. You were that girl who was into that science stuff, right? That is so cool, how we're like close together and stuff. Yeah, I think it'd be cool if we hung out and stuff! I know a cool place to go to. Talk to you later."

Amy nearly felt her breath catch in her throat. Meeting one of her former popular schoolmates to hang out with was one of her biggest dreams- she'd been wanting to accomplish that for so long... and now she was in Texas with her boyfriend, just the two and them and...well, and his mother, but there were no distractions. No friends, no work, no sci-fi doohickeys or whatever could possibly stunt any forward progress. Yes, they were going to be so much closer by the end of this trip if it killed her, and things were already so good! There was nothing better to do but keep going along for the ride.

AUTHOR'S COMMENT:

Wow guys, I'm so stunned/amazed/psyched about getting so many followers/favorites/reviews! I know there actually wasn't a lot, but it feels like a lot to me. This took me a couple days because I was so happy about all the love that I wanted to make it PERFECT. I rewrote it a few times and I think it's finally ready... I hope it's satisfactory, so please enjoy! The story is about to really get moving!


	3. The Romance is Alive

Amy was sitting on the couch proofreading her recently typed paper while Mary was scanning the pile of documents Sheldon had given her earlier. She was off work, but she felt oddly calmer doing something productive for her field even when off duty. Looking up from her laptop, she noticed Mary looked miserably bored reading Sheldon's work, and she realized she probably didn't understand a word of it although she was proud of her son nonetheless. A debate began to etch itself into her brain. She had been told before that she may come off as antisocial with her desire to be independent even in a crowd. It was a conflicting, often frustrating part of her. One half wanted to go to big parties, hang out with friends, meet up at the bar, be a social butterfly, be the life of the party. The other half insisted she merely listen in awe as others talk, not bothering to contribute to the discussion in fear of steering it off course. She preferred reading medieval poetry, or catching up on what's new in science, or simply just watching all the activity from a corner then she did actually engaging in anything.

What if she was doing that now? What if...what if Mary looked bored and annoyed because she refused to chat, not because of her lack of understanding for Sheldon's work? Of course that was it, who could be bored reading such intellectual eye-opening literature? Oh, if Sheldon hadn't ran off somewhere, they would all be conversing, and this embarrassment would never have happened! Well, only thing to do now was fix it.

"Would you like to engage in casual chitchat, Mrs. Cooper?" Amy asked. She noted that having her computer open may give the illusion that were only half focused on their discussion, so she closed her laptop and tucked it neatly back into the her suitcase.

"Oh, why that sounds nice, Amy. What would you like to talk about?" Mary replied. There was a very evident trace of relief in her voice...good thing she started the conversation now before Mary had dubbed her utterly antisocial. Amy gave her a smile, intended as a friendly one yet not too informal.

"Are there any recent activities you've taken a part in that would pike my interest?" Amy offered. Mary paused, pursed her lips, and then put on a facial expression that Amy had figured was either that of confusion to her question or trying to search for memories in answer of her question. "Suggestions would include, perhaps, a recent win or loss of a time-honored sports game? I hear football, baseball, or wrestling are all favorites amongst fans of the athletic pursuit. Since we share friendly relations with your son, it seems reasonable to hear amusing stories of your time spent together? Tales pertaining to moments of embarrassment are popular for child and mother, though I admit I don't particularly care for them."

"Oh, no, I'd much rather like to hear about your life, Amy! I'm sure it's much more interesting than mine," Mary answered quickly, "come on. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Amy shrugged. It really wasn't that interesting either, really. Was she curious about how her relationship with Sheldon was going? As a mother, did she want to know how reliable she was? Of course she would care about whether or not she was going to hurt her son in the long run. Maybe that was a good place to start?

"Well, my existence has remained relatively unchanged since our last meeting. I am an animal, and as such seek to fulfill basic survival needs such as breathing, locating food, and reproducing." She suddenly decided that her sitting on the couch, and Mary sitting at the table, simply could not do in the midst of a friendly discussion such as this. She got up and took a seat at the table.

"I'm sure as a mother looking out for the well-being of her offspring, you're wondering if I am, in fact, a suitable mate for your son." She paused to think through what she would say next, but then completely halted when she picked up on Mary's reaction to all this. She looked a little put off, or maybe a bit uncomfortable and overall confused. Should she explain the inner workings of the mammalian brain that caused this desire to protect their offspring to occur, or should she quit while she's ahead?

"Uh, well we've been comfortably dating for years. I mean-" Amy began, but Mary interrupted her. "You don't have to convince me of anything, sweetie. What happens between you and Shelly is none of my business," she reassured, her voice a little off due to some nervousness. "So, do you know where you're going to stay?" she added. Amy let her eyes trace back to her neatly stacked suitcases, none opened besides the one she had retrieved her laptop from.

"I had a hotel in mind," she shyly offered, thinking to herself that she ought to actually get her room situated right about now. Mary chuckled, waved her hands dismissively, and then started toward the living room. "Those hotels are expensive, untrustworthy, and unreliable!" she snapped with a righteous clap of her hands. "You could just stay here and save yourself the trouble," she concluded.

"Stay here?" Amy parroted, and Mary nodded. "Er, I'm sorry Mrs. Cooper, but I couldn't intrude like that-" Amy began, but Mary interrupted with a polite "oh, it's no intrusion!" Amy weighed the option. It would be nice, and the place was familiar and comfortable at least to Sheldon. Would she be overstepping her boundaries by accepting? It's not like she had been the one to ask though, it was offered to her. "You can stay in my daughter's old room," Mary decided for her. Mary took her heaviest suitcase, and Amy followed with the other. At this point it would almost be rude to reject it.

Three consecutive knocks stopped the both of them from making it to the room, however.

"Mother and Amy, mother and Amy, mother and Amy," came a lovely voice after each third knock, a total of nine before it was finished. Mary and Amy shared a knowing look, and while Mary put down the suitcase to answer the door, Amy checked her phone messages. No new ones from Selena. She checked the latest message.

"I'm free for dinner later tonight. I know this cute restaurant that I think you would like. How about we meet at around 8:00ish? Xoxo"

She smiled goofily at it. Her nerves were admittedly getting the best of her as time dragged on, or rather, inched closer. She had even considered not even attending so she could stay firmly in her comfort zone, far away from all things related to her old high school days. And yet somehow, she knew she had to do this. What kind of a wimp was she if she couldn't do this? People do this all the time! Yeah, that's the spirit!

"Now where did you go?" Mary was scolding Sheldon, though in a whisper. "I went out," he answered innocently. Sheldon had a habit of not giving direct answers, or only supplying the obvious information.

Amy sort of wormed her way past them and invited herself into Mary's car. She had to wait a few moments of back and forth before Sheldon belatedly noticed she was in the car, and then they both started to talk and walk toward the car.

The car ride was short, but nice. Sheldon noticeably avoided shot gun to sit in the back seat with her, something she had to inwardly smile at. They were originally going to get a hotel room, but those plans were quickly changed. Sheldon was predictably peeved at this schedule disaster, but he was willing to accept it. And with that, they were dropped off at the restaurant where they would meet Serena. Now, you would think they would go and take their seats and simply wait for 8:00 to eventually stumble its way into their lives. That's what Amy thought Sheldon would suggest, anyway. But she was pleasantly surprised when Sheldon had suggested a more daring alternative. And that's where they were now, sitting on a bench a few feet away.

It was quiet...a ghost town, even. Save a romantic couple sitting on the sidewalk curve, the place was devoid of life. The air was drowsy and thick with warmth, yet not too much humidity. And that warmth was welcome as the sunset began to give way to night. The sunset was on its last dying breaths now, but still faintly visible with some stubborn orange and pink hues lingering about. A scavenger bird was scritting its talons across the pavement, pecking its small beak at some abandoned bread crumbs before spreading its wings and taking off. The bench was small, so they sat side by side, in delicious close proximity. Granted, it wasn't the haunting enchantment that one would dream on their first night visiting Paris, France, but that didn't take away or even tarnish the romance here, on this little bench.

And with all this potential romantic atmosphere frolicking in the very air they inhaled and exhaled, Sheldon decided to ignore her instead and play games on his cellphone. Amy was, to say the least, disappointed with these results. What was a girl in love supposed to do with a guy like this?

She checked her watch. 7:47 pm. That gave her about ten minutes left, twenty minutes if Serena decided to be fashionably late. Time to get a conversation moving.

"Aren't you excited about this?" Amy busted the silence with a cheerful grin. Sheldon's response was comparably bored and monotonous. "I suppose," he answered in mid-sigh, "but I'm not sure this was such a good idea." Amy unconsciously handed him a very confused look, though Sheldon had completely missed it seeing as he never looked up from his phone.

"What do you mean?" Amy wondered. She tried to fend off the fragility from entering her voice, but she worried it was evident regardless. "Well," Sheldon started, "coming from someone who has suffered many a swirly, purple nurple, and the classic wedgy, I would advise to stay far away from their kind." He put a bit of disgust labored on the word 'their.' Amy felt a little tingle in her heart, but couldn't place the reason for it.

"Who are 'they'?'" she asked, and the dreaded answer came in simple format, "the bullies, of course." While Amy was progressively getting freaked out like a little kid hearing a ghost story, Sheldon was getting annoyed from the very mentioning of the subject.

"Well that's not always true," Amy mustered the confidence to defend. Suddenly the ghost town quality of the place was no longer an element of romance; it was a contribution to the creepy tingling that continued to grow in her chest.

"Sometimes bullies can see the light, change their ways. When you mature from adolescence to adulthood, a lot can change. Some may even fiercely regret what they had done all those years ago. For all we know, that's why she was eager to see me. Maybe she wants to apologize?"

Okay, now the tingling could definitely be defined as a portentous premonition.

"Unlikely," Sheldon scoffed. "But if you want to do this, I certainly won't stop you." He checked his watch, and Amy mimicked the action. 8:02 pm. By now her heart was racing. Was it true? Had she invited herself into another bullying session? What WOULD Serena think of her anyway? Could she have really changed?

In an anxious attempt to release stress, she started tapping her nails against the bench. When that wasn't enough, she checked her watch again, and then once more, and then looked in all directions down the street.

"I don't think I can do this..." Amy whispered in a choked voice so low that Sheldon hadn't even caught in its entirety. "What?" he questioned, and Amy looked down at her hands. She switched from tapping the bench to tapping her thigh, finding some solace in the soothing rhythm. "I...never mind. I mean...what would you do if...she actually hadn't changed her ways, you know?" It was now 8:06 pm. "Would you protect me?"

Sheldon was looking concerned for her now. He had probably only just noticed the anxiety she was going through. "Protect you HOW?" he tried to clarify. He looked completely confused, even out of his element. And he really was out of his element. What was she thinking; he can't protect her from anything. What was she expecting, anyway?

"Er, Amy... there's nothing to really be worried about," he offered awkwardly. This was his attempt at being supportive, and she took it with open arms. "Look, I got you something that I think you'll like." He smiled at her gently, and somehow, a good lot of her anxiety melted away at that smile. Not all of it, but it definitely calmed her nerves. What type of magic Sheldon was able to wield was beyond her understanding, but it always seemed to work on her, every single time.

He took out something shiny in his pocket, and there in his palm was the expensive necklace they had seen back at that silly shop on their way to see Mary. It had several sparkly cut jewels in the shape of perfect spheres all leading up to the main piece, a slightly larger jewel originating from the same type of rock. It was framed in a small silver piece of metal with peculiar designs on it, all of which were swirly yet appealing and generally inviting. It was clear and resembled a diamond, though she wasn't sure if it was a real diamond or not. Either way, it was a bunch of pretty polished rocks on a worthless piece of string and it was just gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

"You... bought me the necklace?" she gasped. For all the squealing and jumping that was going on in her brain, her physical body remained still as stone, probably just as pale and cold. Sheldon granted her that same half-smile, and then tried to shrug it off. "Well, I thought it would be a nice gesture, since I know you lady folk like jewelry. I knew you liked it, so I-"

"I LOVE IT!" Amy threw all subtlety out the window and embraced him in an eager hug. Sheldon was clearly thrown off guard and slightly lost his balance, but as long as he didn't tell her to get off him, then she wasn't about ready to stop. She wasn't sure what his true reaction had been since her face was buried in his chest, but she felt him sort of tap/pat her back and stiffly put his arms to his sides while she continued on. She squeezed him tight regardless, inhaling in his scent and forcing the lovely sensation in her chest-courtesy of the initial embrace- to stay right where it was.

"Oh come on," a foreign voice laughed, and Amy dare not stop the hug in fear of losing what she had gained. It was from the guy who was sitting on the sidewalk curve, along with his admittedly very attractive girlfriend. "Romance isn't dead yet. Hug her back!"

She wasn't sure if she were to be flattered and appreciative of the help or nervous that Sheldon would get mad or scared off. A few long seconds passed, and then she felt two arms wrap around her. The hug back switched from a tentative one to a firm one, and she felt the life being squeezed out of her. She continued the hug until it hurt, and then she regretfully departed.

"The romance is alive! The couple in love are just as lovely," the guy cheered, and this time she could look up. He was standing up, one fist in the air, and his female companion was blushing like nuts though she was smiling admirably toward her mate.

With that comment, the two made their stage exit to the left, and Sheldon and Amy watched them wordlessly until they had turned the corner and out of sight. Silence would follow for several more minutes- Amy wasn't sure exactly when since she hadn't checked her watch during that time- until a cherry red Honda finally delivered the girl they'd been holding their breaths for.

Amy differentiated the click and clack of high heels against pavement, much livelier than the pit and pats of her loafers. Her voice was also comparatively higher, livelier, and much more outgoing as she waved a "toodles!" to some friends in the car. They both braced themselves. This was it.

Author's note:

DONE! After just about every force in the known universe tried to prevent me from doing it! Well I wasn't going to let a little something like quickly impending deadlines or my future being put into question stop me, so here's chapter 3! It...was much longer and less productive than I intended it to be. But it also solved some problems/half solved some problems, so can't complain. Next update will come within a week tops, or you can have my hat for it.


	4. Three Point Five Kittens

The results were in on the Serena debate. More specifically, the debate on whether or not she had changed. The answer was yes, she had definitely changed...or at least, her appearance had. This was the same sixteen year old girl who she could identify in a crowd by her long, ridiculously pampered jet black hair. It was now trimmed in a bob style with very thick bangs covering the entirety of her forehead, as well as being gelled and styled enough to put poodles to shame. And well...it was more or less rainbow-colored. I'm talkin' left hemisphere is dark pink, right hemisphere is light blue, and layered under that was purple. The dyes looked like they had a hard time trying to dominate the natural color of her hair, but any consequences were subtle enough to get away with it. Once your eyes adjusted to the hairdo, one might notice she had traded in her love of panda hairclips for a new love of cartoonish kittens. (Amy had mentally calculated there to be about 3.5 kittens for every five inches of clothing she wore, on average of course.)

"You remember Brent, don't you Amy?" Serena was beyond the point of keeping an indoor voice as she gossiped away. Sheldon gave Amy a confused glance, probably feeling uncomfortable having absolutely no material to provide for the conversation, and Amy tried to think of ways to reassure him. Serena ignored the lack of response and continued on.

"That boy...let me tell you, the years have done wonders. I could just eat him with a side of pecan pie," she swooned. Amy tried to remember someone named Brent, and a fuzzy image of a lanky adolescent with fiery red hair (the likes of which would make a Ron Weasley proud) came to mind.

"I mean, he had a sort of baby-face appeal back in high school, but now he's just mmm-mm!" She mimicked the sound of pleasure in one's culinary experience and swirled her fork in a pile of spaghetti. Sheldon took the opportunity to lean towards Amy and whisper "I fail to see the arousal in us talking about cannibalism, so I'm assuming it's some sort of universally-accepted social metaphor? If not, I say we should be very alarmed."

Amy leaned into his ear and whispered "Universally-accepted sex metaphor," and Sheldon nodded. "Gotcha," he whispered with a knowing grin as he repelled back to a normal sitting position. Meanwhile, Serena had witnessed the exchange and managed to hold a smirk together, though her mouth was full of Italian food.

"Oh, you two don't have to whisper your 'I love you's' in private just because of me. I actually enjoy hearing the baby talk between lovers. I think it's sooo romantic," she sighed. This was followed with an expectant stare from Serena and an exchange of anxious looks between Sheldon and Amy.

"You're mistaken, we weren't-" Sheldon began, but Amy cut him off. "Er, so, we were on the subject of our old high school days?" she laughed nervously, and then took a bite out of her pizza to buy her some time. While she chewed, Serena raised an eyebrow at the action.

She couldn't quite place it, but something felt strange, or a little off, with this whole thing. Not that the conversation was distasteful- she actually really enjoyed it- but for some reason, she felt impatient.

"You're one of those people who eat pizza like THAT?" She accused, and Amy swallowed hard. "What? Why? What's wrong with it?" she gasped. Serena smiled mischievously, leaned over the table, and folded the pizza on top of itself so that it looked sort of like a sandwich.

"So much better. Eat it like that from now on. And where the hell is your ranch dressing?" she snapped. It looked kind of bulgy and awkward, but she decided it would be better just to bear with it for one dinner.

Impatience was growing...

"She touched your food and you're not even going to react?" Sheldon grumbled. He looked less shocked than he did annoyed at this inappropriate, unhealthy response.

...getting worse, and more persistent.

"Don't worry; I have a habit of needing to wash my hands as often as I can. Why does everything have to be so dirty?" Serena reassured him. This immediately brightened Sheldon's mood, and he confirmed he had a similar pre-dinner ritual.

"SO ANYWAY," Amy had raised her voice just a tad too loud, causing the two to look at her in alarm. She made a conscious effort to soften her voice before speaking again. "I wanted to talk about... our experiences in high school, Serena?" Amy couldn't quite bring herself to witness Serena's reaction to this, and instead focused on her sandwich-pizza. Serena's voice, however, had come out to be just as calm and chipper as it had been all night.

"Oh! We had fun, back then, didn't we?" she joked. Amy felt a sickening feeling fill the slot of the now deceased impatience problem. "Yeah, I guess," Amy replied under her breath. Finding her mouth dry, she took a massive swig of her ice water. "But you do remember that you used to bully me, right?" she muttered. Her voice was just above a whisper, and sounded very injured and choked up when it was meant to be delivered with bravery.

She raised her eyes at Serena who was giving her an innocently confused look, and at Sheldon, who looked nervous all of a sudden. "I wouldn't call it bullying," Serena answered after a moment. She giggled just a bit as if laughing at an inside joke and took another bite of her spaghetti.

Memories of vulgar nick names, pushing in the hallways, and mean jokes entered her mind. "I define it as bullying," Amy muttered in the same weak fashion. By now, Sheldon was looking back and forth between the two while biting his bottom lip.

Serena remained blissfully ignorant however, showing no signs of discomfort. "Well it wasn't," she replied sternly, and then added, "it was just a game." She kept smiling as she said the words.

Amy felt anger rising in her. Why was she getting so frustrated? Why did she have to bring this up? The cat was out of the bag by now, but should she really keep testing herself?

"Well then, is it reasonable for me to ask why you did those things to me?" Amy questioned. Serena raised an eyebrow, and Amy continued, "why did you play the games on me, specifically?" Serena was beginning to look annoyed now, but she kept her cool much better than Amy was doing. "I don't know, you were easy? Let's not talk about-"

"No, I want a good, clear answer," Amy persisted. She kept her voice generally normal, but the agitation was beginning to leak through. A long pause ensued with both ladies narrowing their eyes at each other. Sheldon remained quiet, though he kept glancing toward the door as if trying to scrape up enough courage to make a dash for it.

"Look Amy, I'm trying to be friends. I want to bury the hatchet. So can we please drop it?" Serena continued her hot glare and threw her napkin rather aggressively back on the table.

Amy could now understand why she had wanted to see Serena in the first place. It was all so clear. It was never meant to be a friendly get together, it was meant to get some real answers. She really just wanted some closure. Not just closure on Serena's action alone, but on the entirety of her high school experience. It just felt so...lacking. Like something was missing. And she felt eager to cure that feeling of emptiness in any way possible, no matter how minor it may be. Was that really what this was about?

"But I just want to know... I mean, I want you to tell me..." Amy struggled to find the right words, but Serena responded before she could. "Because you were nerdy, and antisocial, and you avoided me, and you had a terrible fashion sense, and you were just plain embarrassing."

That one struck home. That one really hurt. Amy could feel the tear in her heart at those words, but she fought back the emotions so she could keep showing off a completely unphased, unaffected demeanor. It didn't stop there.

"Besides, no one ever really liked you anyway. There was no way you were ever going to be accepted. You're always going to be rejected because you're just so generally unlikeable. Everything about you- you're like a really weird robot with no feelings or anything. I mean, if you want to make friends, stop dressing so bland and, oh I don't know, get some real hobbies or something. You really haven't changed at all. I was really hoping you actually got around to being a real girl like wearing at least a little make-up or something, but nooooo."

The words kept coming out of her mouth, like a series of daggers each shooting through her heart. With each dagger, her emotions became higher and higher, more wild, more stirred. Embarrassment hit her when she felt tears welling up, cheeks rosy hot, lips trembling. Why had she expected anything different? She wasn't looking for anything special, not even an apology. Just recognition that something wrong had been done, and that it could be mended.

"Well? Aren't you going to defend her?" Serena continued on, and this time she was looking directly at Sheldon. He replied by looking down at his hands folded neatly in his lap, his face contorted into one of confliction. Serena forced a chuckle.

"Of course not, she probably paid you to come here. You're probably not even her boyfriend. That's right up Amy's alley. So, are you her boyfriend?" she sneered. Sheldon hesitated for a long moment, and then muttered "I am."

"Oh really? Yeah right. Tell me, then. How many times have you kissed? Cuddled? Hugged? None, right?" Serena continued to laugh and mock while Amy remained darkly quiet. "It's obvious because I know Amy will never find anybody who would love her enough to date her."

That was it, she'd had enough. It was all too much. Amy had to put one hand over her mouth to escape the sobs from flowing, and with the other, she grabbed her purse and took off for the door. Her blind run toward the door caused several concerned diners to look at her, but none of them offered any help. After she'd ran out the door, everyone quickly returned to eating their meals.

"Amy!?" Sheldon had called after her, but she had left the restaurant faster than Sheldon could respond. "Amy, why are you getting so upset!?" he continued, but no answer. With that, he darted out of his seat and chased after her.

Author's note:

Yay, posting early! This chapter is the one I'm most nervous about (save perhaps one other) when trying to predict its reception. I just can't imagine too many are particular keen on reading about Amy going through this all BEFORE any major Shamy events happen. Plus I've already gone through four chapters trying to set everything up and only NOW are we getting onto the actual Shamy story (I don't think a lot of casual readers are willing to wait that long before I actually make many attempts to capture their interest.) In spite of that, thank you to all my supporters (I've never had so many for ANY fan work I've ever done, and I'm not even finished yet! THANKYOU) I promise I have a lot of goodies in store that'll make it worth your while! ;)


	5. His Name is Toodles

Amy's temporary room ended up looking worlds different from what she was expecting. She had decided that Mary's residential home had matched the precise image that she had pictured in her mind: a simple well-grounded home, feeling bigger on the outside than it did on the inside, in the midst of deterioration and paling of beige paint color though not unattractively so. Actually, any unneatness as a direct result of aging materials came off as enticingly quaint. Missy's former room, however, appeared to be grossly indifferent to the style of the rest of the home. The almost obtrusive appearance directly contrasted with how Sheldon had described his sister. Amy had pictured her as a down to Earth young women, practical and rational. (Though she had also been described as a primal species in the presence of her much further evolved twin brother, so much so that whether or not she had earned rights to reside in the realms of the Homo sapiens genus is a matter of harsh debate.)

The evidence of the room, however, would say her previous imaginings had been terribly amiss. The walls were coated in a very light princess-like pink, though judging from the thinning spots and the numerous stains, Amy had guessed the paint job was trudging through it's senior years. The desk and bookshelf, though making a valiant effort to appear sophisticated with its many thick paperback books, sharpened #2 pencils, and construction paper, sadly was not able to evade being topped with pink frilly cloth and several teddy bears. Her favorite teddy bear was one she had nicknamed Toodle (because he looked like a Toodle) who had some surprisingly well-groomed 'fur' and quite the fetching polka-dotted bowtie around his neck. It was slightly crooked.

The room seemed to try it's best to comfort her with its many bright and encouraging hues, but it couldn't account for Amy's efforts to make the room as grim and dark as possible. She had shut the curtains, clicked off the light, and positioned herself sitting on the bed with her back against the wall. Her mind was a clean slate, though she tried desperately to kick it into gear. She simply could not manage to think a single coherent thought. Instead she took to staring blankly ahead of her, arms wrapped neatly around her legs and chin resting on her knees. She wished she could pluck the annoying shuffling sounds she kept hearing out of the air- she playfully imagined them as musical notes bobbling above her head- and shove them under the bed so she could have some peace and quiet, but alas, such noises could not be defeated so easily.

Of course her darkness was also being intruded on by the very unsympathetic light coming from beneath the door. She heard tapping, shuffling, and harsh mumbling coming from somewhere within the heart of the living room.

"Should I bring her a hot beverage?" Sheldon's voice was low and full of nervousness and indecision.

"Perhaps time is what she needs," Mary replied. She seemed to habitually sound like a wise old sage when she gave advice.

A brief pause.

"I think I should do _something_..."

"If you know what's best for her, then who am I to say-"

"Oh, I know what I'll do! I'll get her some ice-cream! True, more than a fair share of my resources may be unreliable, but the fact that ice-cream will help instill a rational mind into a tearful female has been consistent over most of what I've observed and researched in the past years about the female mind."

Amy wasn't sure if she wanted comforting or not. On one hand, she felt that she wanted someone to be beside her and comfort her...she wanted that person to be Sheldon...but on the other hand, was Sheldon really reliable to comfort an emotional person? Emotional people did tend to be unpredictable, and she knew Sheldon detested communing with the emotionally unstable.

The talking ended abruptly, so Amy expected Sheldon to walk in as soon as he was done preparing a bowl of ice-cream for her. It was somehow relieving, and she realized she had preferred someone comforting her over being alone. Being alone felt...strange. It was strangely strange. How did she ever get to the point where being alone felt odd to her? Had she really been part of a social group for so long that being alone felt off to her? She remembered that, before she had friends, she had found it odd to feel any lack of aloneness. Talking to anyone but her colleagues, family, or her occasionally responsive rhesus monkeys, just wasn't a common occurrence.

Suddenly stricken with a desire for more company than what was already being offered to her, Amy checked her cellphone. One text message from Selena, one hour after they'd met at the restaurant. She deleted it without bothering to read it and then scrolled down to see if anyone else had texted her. Not a single soul. Penny hadn't texted her all day, Bernadette hadn't texted her either, nor had Howard, or Raj, or Leonard. None of her co-workers had texted her, though that wasn't surprising. The lack of flashing words claiming a new text message had been sent left her with an ache in her heart, and she briefly regretted deleting Selena's new text message. Why did it matter to her? It had only been a day; she had talked to Penny that morning. Why did it matter so much that Penny hadn't texted her since then?

Three knocks distracted her, the signature of a certain Sheldon Cooper, along with three repetitions of her name. She murmured a weak "come on" though her voice was still hoarse from containing her crying earlier. Sheldon welcomed himself in, looked at the light, and then apparently thought against it as he simply shut the door behind him and made his way a few footsteps toward her. In one hand was the predicted vanilla ice cream with a spoon shoved in the middle, and in the other hand, a cup filled with an unknown liquid.

A few beats passed, as both parties refused to speak the first words. "Uh, may I sit down?" Sheldon eventually asked, and Amy patted the seat beside her in response. She was seated comfortably on the far end of the bed, though Sheldon made no move to crawl across the bed to sit beside her. Instead, he sat awkwardly on the side of the bed, noticeably just enough to manage his balance. He silently handed her the ice cream and set the cup on the table.

She tried to think of what to say, but instead continued her ongoing silence and pulled the spoon out of the ice-cream mound. She took a few bites, allowing a few moments for the ice-cream to melt in her mouth and become creamy before swallowing, and then she decided to try to mash the ice-cream into a bad milkshake impersonation.

"Do you uh...wanna... talk about it?" Sheldon grunted several bites of ice-cream later. He seemed to have had trouble pronouncing the words, and Amy guessed he felt out of his element. "...yes, I would want that," Amy answered. She noticed her voice was still raspy and cracked. "Would you...like to sit next to me?" Amy suggested, again patting the seat next to her. She wasn't sure if the bowl of ice-cream would become a type of conversation barrier between them, so she placed it on the table and sat slightly more upright.

Sheldon looked like he was mentally debating it, to which he begrudgingly conceded and began scooting backwards toward her. If it felt odd to be alone, it felt odder yet to have Sheldon sitting close to her in the dark like this. Somehow it enlivened the moment and made her feel a little self-conscious. They were sitting side by side, thigh touching thigh, and he had to look down in order to compensate for the height difference. She didn't know why, but her thoughts were suddenly blurred and she couldn't quite match her eyes with his.

Sheldon only seemed slightly faltered. He inhaled a deep breath, stuck one hand in his pocket, and then exposed a neatly-folded pile of tissues. He dissected a tingle sheet from the thin stack, put the rest in his pocket again, and then handed it to her. "My personal supply, but I suppose the occasional calls for it," he mumbled as if he weren't sure about saying the words out loud.

There was no more room for silence, she had to come out and say it. How could she hesitant anymore, or keep it in for much longer? She dabbed the tissue to her eyes, and then faced him. "I need to ask some questions, right now, and I want you to answer them truthfully." Her voice was rusty, though confident.

Sheldon blinked at her. "Of course," he replied in such a way where he seemed shocked that she would have to ask for truthfulness from him. "After all, I believe mutual trust is a chief component to our relationship. What would you like to ask me?"

Amy, again, took a deep breathe. Why was it so hard to ask him? Why was she afraid of the answers? And why did he have to LOOK at her that way?

"Before I ask...I would like to request we cuddle," Amy began. She knew he was spoiling her by sitting so close at all, but she wanted to be spoiled more. She felt the familiar punch of rejection when Sheldon made no move to accept that simple request. He looked extremely uncomfortable, perhaps uncertain, though he noticeably moved just an inch from her. Just an inch, and yet it felt like a mile.

"I really wouldn't be comfortable with that..." he mumbled, though he seemed pained to do so. He hesitated a moment, and then added on the end, "I'm sorry." It was just above a whisper, and a little shaky. It felt like a sorry born of defeat. Amy was actually surprised to hear a sorry from him, but for what she lost, it still hurt.

"Then, may I request a hug?" Amy uttered. She stared at him, trying to muscle her way through and keep up the eye contact, for he didn't budge an inch in starring straight back at her. He slightly bit the bottom of his lip, and then nodded his head. "I'll agree to that," he uttered in a voice much the same breed as the earlier defeatist one, though this version was at least worlds more lively.

She nodded robotically, a fog beginning to take residence in her brain, and they embraced. She found a chaotic feeling bubble in her stomach, and it felt warm and good. She could compare the frisky enlivenment to the ecstasy and addictive qualities of becoming intoxicated through alcohol. It felt like a heightened feeling, and yet somehow, it felt lacking.

After a few moments, she figured she ought to release Sheldon of his burden, so she let him go and made an effort to lean back again. She was surprised when her efforts were cut short with Sheldon gripping her tighter. She found herself unable to retreat, and not knowing what else to do, she wrapped her arms around Sheldon a second time. This was strange, why wouldn't he let her go?

Come to think of it, he had done the same thing after he'd bought her the necklace. He hugged her, and hugged her so tight that she only stopped the hug to evade the pain he brought on by the squeeze. The hug continued on to the point where it almost felt awkward.

Again, she tried to disconnect the hug, but he didn't let go. After a moment she felt pressure on her lower back, and Sheldon began reeling her toward him. She got even closer to him until the hug was getting so tight that she felt she was being crushed. She wasn't sure what to do, or what had brought it on. Didn't he hate being this close?

Eventually she felt the air being pressed out of her lungs, and she decided it was time to discontinue. "Sheldon..." she grunted through being constricted, "Sheldon, you're hurting me..." After she had spoken the words, he immediately let go and faced forward again.

Able to breathe again, Amy absentmindedly brushed where her arms currently ached. That was odd, definitely odd for him. She felt a need to continue regardless, though she had to fight off the urge to question it.

"...thank-you," she whispered, and he mumbled an equally restrained your welcome while not quite meeting her eyes. She waited for a moment to pass, as somehow the space between them had become awkward. Then she spoke again. "I want to ask you one more question," she said decidedly.

She looked down at her feet and grabbed at the covers with her toes. "Will we EVER have sex?" she finally admitted the words. She really was afraid of knowing the answer. She wasn't quite confident that it was good news for her. Surprisingly, however, Sheldon's answer came quickly.

"I think it's a possibility," he replied. Amy grimaced. "Sheldon...I want a straight answer. Will we, or will we not?" Sheldon looked entirely uncertain- the look of confusion didn't quite suit him. He probably didn't like the feeling of not knowing, nor did he like the feeling of romance. Amy decided to rephrase the question, for both their sake.

"I guess what I mean to say is...will you ever be _comfortable_ having sex?" She paused, and then continued, "I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you. I want to be a good girlfriend so... if the idea of physical intimacy makes you uncomfortable I... I don't want to do that. If you honestly, truly hate the idea of coitus, then I won't force you."

He took a long time to answer. Had she done the right thing asking him such a forceful question? No, she had to ask that question. She couldn't wait any longer. It was either a yes, or a no. Finally, he answered.

"I don't think so," he answered in the form of a long sigh. Amy blinked. That was it, then. Sheldon didn't actually love her, did he? He would never love her. It wasn't his fault; he just couldn't bring himself to get involved in that way. Amy felt hollow inside, like she had lost something dearly valuable in just a moment's notice. Would that ever change?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry for meeting my last early update with an equally as late one... I got a terrible case of writers block. Then I decided to look at other Shamy fanfictions for inspiration and then I, of course, got all discouraged and ashamed even though I have no right to be, because everyone else is just so GOOD at writing for Shamy and I feel like I can't give this lovely couple justice in my own writing. GAH. I just hope I'm cutting it for you guys, thanks for reading!


End file.
